Chapter 2

SELIORA POV

For a brief moment, my mind refused to make sense of what was happening.  

Alpha Kaelion.

He was already mated, wasn’t he? I had listened to the stories, spoken hushed rumours of his steadfast loyalty to his Luna, of the intensity with which he defended his pack. And still, here he stood, his presence dominating, his strong aura splitting the air.

Why was he here?

Before I could find my voice, Kaelion's deep bellow shattered the tense silence.

“Where is the Alpha of Ember Fang?" His growl circulated the room and his obvious rage was oppressive. 

Since my father wasn’t around, I would take his place. I straightened up, rolling my shoulders back, and planted myself firmly before him. I would not back down before anyone, not even him. "That would be me at the moment," I said. "What's the problem, Alpha Kaelion?”

Kaelion turned his amber, smoking eyes on me, and for the first time, I saw the unadulterated rage brewing behind them. His lip lifted in a snarl, his entire body trembling with restrained savagery.

"Your father," he growled, "killed my mate. He destroyed my pack.".

The words pierced like a knife to the heart. A sudden, shocked breath escaped my mouth, but before I could start to address the accusation, an even more dangerous situation happened. 

The mate bond between us surged to life.

It was not discreet or subtle.

It was intense, engulfing, a jolt of energy that fizzled in the atmosphere between us, insisting to be recognized. My heart thundered in my ears, and my whole universe spun from the undeniable strength of the connection. 

Kaelion tensed.

His eyes widened, his nostrils expanded, and his breathing hitched. He felt it too.

For an instant, there were just the two of us. Then Kaelion's face twisted in pure disgust.  

"No." His voice was venom. "No. This has to be some sort of cruel prank." 

My heart throbbed at his disgusted tone, but I kept my composure. I tightened my fists by my sides and raised my chin. The atmosphere surrounding us became dense with tension. All eyes were on us, anticipating the result of whatever was about to go down. 

Kaelion moved in closer, his massive figure looming over me, his mouth twisting in revulsion. "How," he seethed, "can the child of my mate’s murderer be destined for me?”

My throat tightened. The bond demanded closeness, but his words sliced through me like sharpened claws.

I spoke. "What grounds do you have for making these accusations towards us?” My voice was steady. 

Kaelion's snarl deepened. "You dare to question me?"

"I need proof," I shot back, steel in my tone. "Because the father I know is a good man. Not the monster you’re trying to portray him as.”

Kaelion let out a deep, threatening growl. "Your father," he sneered, his tone thick with contempt, "sought to topple me. He tried to seize my pack, and when he couldn't, he murdered my mate without mercy.”

My stomach tensed. "I don't know anything about the resentments or wrongs you're mentioning," I replied calmly, "but I am not the person who has wronged you." 

Despite the rage radiating from him, the mate bond would not be ignored. It hummed between us, pulling at us.

Kaelion's jaw clenched. "I might be many things," he murmured, his tone gentle yet threatening, "but I am neither a fool nor a coward." 

Without any pause, he said the unimaginable. 

"I, Alpha Kaelion of the Obsidian Fang Pack, reject you, Seliora of Ember Fang, as my mate." 

The words were a blade, cutting deep into my soul. 

A searing, harsh pain ripped through my chest, similar to unseen claws shredding me from within. My body wobbled slightly, and I struggled to remain standing, stifling the whimper that was trying to come out. 

Gasps spread across the ballroom. 

Rejections were rare, and public rejections even rarer. But Kaelion did not care. He desired for everyone to know that he wanted nothing to do with me. 

I tightened my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I fought to keep my composure. The pain of rejection was overwhelming, yet I refused to let him have the satisfaction of witnessing my breakdown. 

Kaelion watched me closely, waiting for me to falter. 

However, I did not. 

Despite the searing pain and grief, I braced my knees and forced myself to stand tall, shoulders back, head held high. I would not cry. 

And for an instant, something danced in Kaelion's eyes.

A glimmer of something, respect? Before it was brutally extinguished by hate.

 His features stiffened once more, and he took another step forward, his voice a quiet, threatening growl. 

"Your pack murdered my partner," he hissed, his tone ominous. “Now, I will claim my revenge.”

My blood went cold.  

I didn't have an opportunity to respond before a faint yet unmistakable sound reached my ears.

Growls.  

Howls.

My body became rigid, coldness rushing through my veins as the truth hit me like a lightning bolt. 

I cocked my head, trying to listen above the noise of the ballroom. The noises intensified, screams, the scrape of claws against stone and stabbing gurgles… My stomach sank. 

Ember Fang was under attack.

Before I could react, everything around me descended into chaos.